Mike Benbow

Ospreys’ large wingspans help them carry fish for long distances. (Photo by Mike Benbow)

Now playing on a waterfront near you: The osprey show

Port Gardner in Everett is one of the nation’s best places to watch the raptors raise their young.

 

A group of young herons await a meal as a parent shows up at the nest with food. (Photo by Mike Benbow)

Great blue breeders: Herons raise the next generation in Everett

You can watch the giant, gawky birds atop pilings in a herony along the city’s waterfront.

 

For their own nests, kingfishers dig a tunnel in sandy banks along the water, but they regularly perch on nest sites for other birds while looking for food.

Tulalip Bay’s belted kingfishers are kings of the waterfront

From their perches on pilings, the sharp-beaked birds keep a sharp eye for small fish to eat.

 

This Lantana variety has red flowers with a tubular-shape, very popular with hummingbirds. (Mike Benbow)

How to turn your summer garden into a hummingbird haven

Here are 10 nectar-rich plants — most of them red — that will attract hummingbirds to your yard.

This Lantana variety has red flowers with a tubular-shape, very popular with hummingbirds. (Mike Benbow)
Arlington woman offers ‘Faith Steps’ for troubled times

Arlington woman offers ‘Faith Steps’ for troubled times

Lisa Phillips believes her book can help military families coping with today’s coronavirus crisis.

Arlington woman offers ‘Faith Steps’ for troubled times
State’s forecast for 2020 salmon runs well below projections

State’s forecast for 2020 salmon runs well below projections

Anglers should expect restrictions due to fewer fish than expected returning to local waterways.

State’s forecast for 2020 salmon runs well below projections
Take a magical eagle tour on the Skagit River this winter

Take a magical eagle tour on the Skagit River this winter

Boat fleets take camera buffs on the river for photo sessions with America’s symbol.

Take a magical eagle tour on the Skagit River this winter
Comings and goings: Spot these 10 migrating Northwest birds

Comings and goings: Spot these 10 migrating Northwest birds

Here are five birds that migrate here in winter — and five others that fly away to sunnier skies.

Comings and goings: Spot these 10 migrating Northwest birds
Pass Lake in Skagit County can be challenging, but rewarding

Pass Lake in Skagit County can be challenging, but rewarding

The lake near Deception Pass is better in the fall when trout rise in the water to plump up for winter.

Pass Lake in Skagit County can be challenging, but rewarding
Fish and Wildlife Department giving crabbers a bonus season

Fish and Wildlife Department giving crabbers a bonus season

The winter crabbing season opened last week and is scheduled to go through the end of the year.

Fish and Wildlife Department giving crabbers a bonus season
Washington state is ‘a mushroom hunter’s paradise’

Washington state is ‘a mushroom hunter’s paradise’

All the state and national forests, plus the rain, make this an ideal place for mushrooms to grow.

Washington state is ‘a mushroom hunter’s paradise’
B.C.’s Corbett Lake solid place for fly fishing

B.C.’s Corbett Lake solid place for fly fishing

Kamloops rainbow trout were plentiful, and bit on various flies during an early May outing.

B.C.’s Corbett Lake solid place for fly fishing
Chuck Morrison plays a trout that grabbed his fly at Black Pine Lake near Twisp. (Mike Benbow photo)

Fire results in bigger, more plentiful fish in Black Pine Lake

Fire danger closed the lake near Twisp for most of last summer allowing the fish to grow.

Chuck Morrison plays a trout that grabbed his fly at Black Pine Lake near Twisp. (Mike Benbow photo)
Trout season opens Saturday: Here’s where to catch them

Trout season opens Saturday: Here’s where to catch them

Some 2.1 million were planted in area lakes for anglers to contend with on Saturday.

Trout season opens Saturday: Here’s where to catch them
Teach a kid to fish: 6 local derbies scheduled for trout season

Teach a kid to fish: 6 local derbies scheduled for trout season

Here’s how to get youngsters hooked on the sport — even if Mom and Dad don’t fish themselves.

Teach a kid to fish: 6 local derbies scheduled for trout season
Dismal local outlook for upcoming salmon season

Dismal local outlook for upcoming salmon season

Aside from coho, the forecast for the upcoming salmon season on local rivers is ‘very discouraging.’

Dismal local outlook for upcoming salmon season
Government shutdown likely to delay Skagit steelhead fishery

Government shutdown likely to delay Skagit steelhead fishery

The catch-and-release fishery for steelhead on the Skagit and Sauk rivers was set to open Feb. 1.

Government shutdown likely to delay Skagit steelhead fishery
Before the malls, Christmas shoppers flocked to Everett

Before the malls, Christmas shoppers flocked to Everett

Historian Larry O’Donnell looks back on the days when downtown was the county’s retail center.

Before the malls, Christmas shoppers flocked to Everett
‘So he bid her goodbye and went fishing’

‘So he bid her goodbye and went fishing’

Fishing bum Al Knudson, a founding member of the Evergreen Fly Fishing Club, created the Knudson Spider.

‘So he bid her goodbye and went fishing’
‘Robust’ numbers expected as waterfowl season opens Saturday

‘Robust’ numbers expected as waterfowl season opens Saturday

WDWF says it was a good breeding year for ducks and geese in Canada and Alaska.

‘Robust’ numbers expected as waterfowl season opens Saturday